Why doesn't the UAW do a better job of representing workers?

[MindPilot]

I've had exactly three union jobs in my life and I attempted to organize one place. (that was an epic fail) My experiences ranged from bad to neutral; and without going into a bunch of detail about specific instances, I just never felt like the union was looking out for me.

So my question to you folks who are in unions and specifically the UAW, why doesn't the union act as watchdog to protect its members from situations like what's happening at GM? If the company for example screws up its finances to the point of not being able meet its contractual obligations to the employees, shouldn't the union leaders be sounding the alarm and using the threat of lawsuit or strike to bring them back in line?

It seems like whenever the subject comes up regardless of industry, whatever union is involved offers some concessions to the alter of contract renegotiation and everyone goes away happy except the poor bastard who got his hours cut and won't see a raise for the next three years.

So from the outside looking in, how is it that this supposedly extraordinarily powerful union--the UAW--has allowed the workers they represent to fall into such a precarious situation? Isn't part of the union's job to be forward-looking and proactive in protecting the workers from management's bad decisions?

[DainBramaged]

1. Are you familiar with the lack of consumer credit over the past say 6 months?

DO you think that, if the banks hadn't shoot themselves in the foot and risked millions of homes in a high-stakes betting pool that there would not be a situation where millions are evicted, mortgages and home equity impossible to attain, car loans pulled back unless your credit score is 750+, oh and I almost forgot the meteoric rise of gas prices to over $4 a barrel which siphoned off trillions of dollars of disposable income.


Which part of the above should the UAW have been responsible for before the entire house of cards Bush and his cronies built our economy on collapsed? And don't even go there regarding not building cars America wants, that meme doesn't fly here.


Once again, blame the union for the situation. This is getting pretty tedious.

[MindPilot]

6. Dude, settle down, I'm asking a question, not blaming the union

I'm not in a union, don't work in a unionized industry, so I'm not familiar with what the union does and does not do for for its members.

[DainBramaged]

10. "I've had exactly three union jobs in my life and I attempted to organize one place"

Oh? Isn't that what you wrote?

[MindPilot]

15. Yeah, and it was all nearly thirty years ago.

I probably should have made that clear.

[gizmo1979]

2. The union has no

input into the daily operation of the business.The contract gives the union zero input into these areas.You vastly overrate the power the union has in these areas.

[DainBramaged]

3. Don't bother, this is going to be another UAW bashing thread no matter what we say

I wonder if the OP has any input into the daily operation of his job place?

[MindPilot]

14. If your attitude is anything close to typical I can see why there's a problem

The union is absolute to you; there's nothing else and you aren't even allowed to question what it does. It seems like the UAW could negotiate a wage structure that has you paying GM management for the privilege of building their cars and you would think that's just dandy because the union did it.

Again, from the outside looking in it just doesn't seem like the union leadership fights much on behalf of the workers. Maybe they do and I just don't hear about it.

[DainBramaged]

16. Your assumptions are wrong, but that's OK, DU has become

one hit on the UAW after the other. And it seems that it's OK to attack the Union here as if we are to blame for the entire mess surrounding us. DUDE we just build fecking cars, we aren't politicians, economists, bankers, just fecking workers, and one of these days, DU as a whole will get that.

[davsand]

23. I gave up on the anti-union stuff here a long time ago.

I swear you can spend a lifetime here discussing a range of compelling "liberal" issues like the Palins and who we are gonna run against Obama for the next term, but you just can't find too many on here that are not spouting anti union propaganda and GOP talking points verbatim.

Hell, you can't even get this crew to understand the fundamental need for collective bargaining let alone what the local or the internationals' responsibility is to the rank and file.

Just saying...



Laura

[MindPilot]

8. Thanks...that answers my question.

Now, it brings up another, should the unions work to become more involved with day-to-day operations, or as I mentioned in the OP serve a watchdog function?

[Snotcicles]

13. The Unions rarely get to look at a company's books. Maybe only during a bankruptcy. nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. First you have to get the workers to care

We have been working without a contract since July. Our union has done a fabulous job of keeping us informed and of keeping the negotiating process going. But we have meetings to discuss negotiations and less than 10% of our membership shows up. We hold rallies and pickets and even fewer members come. It's very frustrating. Everyone wants a contract and a raise but very few are willing to participate in the process to get the contract.

[NNN0LHI]

5. What makes you think the workers or the union gets a vote in management's decision making?

Did someone tell you this fable?

Don

[MindPilot]

9. I don't know, that's why I'm asking

I always kind of thought that looking out for the workers was the union's basic function. But I've just never been around unions or union people much so I'm trying to understand how it works.

[gizmo1979]

25. they do look out for the workers.

They just can't tell the company how to run the daily operations,unless there are unsafe conditions or overtime rules aren't followed things like that.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. Try working without a union.

Watch and see how it feels to have no protection from an employer that is free to do as he damn well pleases.

Some unions may be more effective than others, but I've never worked any job without being part of one.

They can't dictate company policy, but they can protect the workers from bad policies.

[madrchsod]

12. try working for a shiity local like my wifes`s

the of the best state and national unions and her local is shit. the leadership is clueless and worse have it rigged so only a few can be union officials because they use "seniority". worse only half the workers are union because of "part time employees" and grandfathered workers who pay no dues but belong to the union.

an example of their neglect..because of her position she has to work "off the clock" and has to work 5 years and receives 30 dollars.

[spanone]

11. what do you suggest?

[MindPilot]

17. I'm not suggesting anything, I'm more trying to understand the inner workings

As I said upthread, I haven't been around unions or union people most of my working life so I don't have a good point of reference.


But after reading some of the responses, perhaps unions in general should take on more of a watchdog role.

[blue_onyx]

18. I'm not a union member but...

I think the problem is more with the fact that so many, including liberals (and many on DU), have completely bought into the Republican Reaganomics BS over the last 25-30 years. I think the UAW does the best it can but so much of the country now believes that the US auto companies paying their employees/retirees well is a bad thing. When even liberal Democrats are saying "the unions need to make more concessions," it becomes difficult for the unions to not give in.

[DainBramaged]

19. Don't bother, UAW is a bad word here, we are to blame for everything

and we make the shittiest cars in the world, the most expensive, overpay our workers to the point they burn money to light cigars, and on and on...................

[rockymountaindem]

26. I can't believe that some peoples' pants have not caught on fire

with all the anti-union lies being spread around. Hell, you'd think that the Big Three were being run as some kind of cooperative given how much they're trying to blame all the corporate woes on the people who put the fenders on.

[sendero]

20. While I generally ..

.. would blame bad management on this mess, it isn't even that simple.

With the cost structures, providing health care and pensions for retirees (which I'm not so sure the union didn't have a hand in how that is done, from current revenues just like SS) they had to work with, the only profitable business was large vehicles, which Americans happily bought.

I have no problem with the UAW, but wages are coming down as a function of market forces, unless millions of Americans decide that they want to donate a few thousand dollars with every purchase.

[Fading Captain]

21. Unions are like government -- You get what you demand

And if you're a lazy bitch who whines about a problem instead of taking action, then that's what you get.

[slipslidingaway]

22. Excellent question...

"...So my question to you folks who are in unions and specifically the UAW, why doesn't the union act as watchdog to protect its members from situations like what's happening at GM? If the company for example screws up its finances to the point of not being able meet its contractual obligations to the employees, shouldn't the union leaders be sounding the alarm and using the threat of lawsuit or strike to bring them back in line?..."


And somewhat related...this puzzled me last year during the primaries, note the page changed as candidates dropped out of the race.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1777600&mesg_id=1777600

There's something happening here...AFL-CIO issues page

I came across this page when looking back on the votes for the China Trade bill in 2000. What is interesting is how the page includes information on the China Trade bill for certain candidates and excludes vote information for other candidates. I would assume this page is compiled for the benefit of their members so why would they be selective on the voting records of the candidates? Does anyone else find this strange?

No mention of the votes that the Dem candidates cast for this bill


YES

Biden
Dodd
Edwards

NO

Kucinich


Republican YES votes are mentioned

Brownback
McCain
Thompson

Republican NO votes are NOT mentioned

Hunter
Paul
Tancredo

[gizmo1979]

24. First you can't strike

whenever the feeling hits,that's a wildcat strike and it's against the law.Second we don't get to see the books,we have to believe what they tell us.You can get lawyers involved and all,but you try to avoid such things and work with the company.What the union does is works for a fair contract make sure things are safe,and you don't get fired for no good reason.